Deadline Preview, Part 4: Potential Trade Acquisitions

The final part of our trade deadline preview series looks at potential
acquisitions. Although Marc Bergevin has said he doesn’t want to take away
from the core of the team for rentals, that doesn’t preclude him from moving a
lesser asset for one. Even though there aren’t many sellers, there are
several players that could fill various roles for this team not only for this
season but beyond as well.

The list below will focus on players that for the most part haven’t been
discussed elsewhere. We know the big names that are still out there or the
tough guys that many fans covet, there’s little point in bringing those up here.
Player stats are through March 28th.

Forwards

There are two areas I could see the Habs trying to improve before the
deadline. The first is adding some toughness (although I’m staying away
from the pure enforcer discussion) as well as a second/third line forward to
hedge against Rene Bourque’s concussion concerns.

LW/RW Ryan Jones (EDM): He is off to a slow start since returning to the
lineup in late February but he still would bring some value in terms of depth
scoring. The past two years he averaged 17.5 goals while receiving third
line minutes while being a physical presence. He also historically has
shown he can take a regular shift shorthanded.

LW/RW Chad LaRose (CAR): 2012-13 has been a down year for the long time
Hurricane. His offence is down and he recently missed time with a
concussion. That said, he still has the potential to provide some
offensive punch from the lower lines while throwing his weight around at the
same time. I think he’s a solid buy-low candidate.

LW Cody McLeod (COL): McLeod is what many fans seem to want Travis Moen to
be. He brings a little bit of offensive ability to the table, plays a
physical style, and is a willing combatant in fights (23 scraps since last
season). The fact that his contract is quite reasonable may up the asking
price though, a mid-round pick isn’t going to cut it.

C Jerred Smithson (FLA): This is probably less likely now with the
re-acquisition of Jeff Halpern but despite the fact both are strong at the
faceoff dot and can help kill penalties, Smithson can still bring additional
elements to the table. He isn’t as quick as Halpern but he has good size
and hits often. Smithson is far from a ‘Plan A’ acquisition but if it’s
late in the day and Bergevin is looking to add some cheap depth, this is a
player worth acquiring.

RW/C Maxime Talbot (PHI): There is some speculation that the Flyers would be
willing to part with him and his energetic style would be a great addition to
the fourth line and penalty kill. However, the term remaining on his
contract may scare suitors off.

LW Raffi Torres (PHX): He certainly won’t be winning any popularity contests
around the league but there’s no denying he can be an effective bottom six
player. He isn’t as physical as he used to be but can still throw his body
around while chipping in with a few goals here and there.

C/LW Antoine Vermette (PHX): With Phoenix having a fair amount on the books
already for next season with quite a few players (including Mike Smith) to
re-sign, I think there’s a good chance they move the versatile forward.
Vermette is terrific at the faceoff dot and regularly shifts from centre to the
wing with ease. He also can play all special teams aspects while his
physical play is better than most would expect. If Bergevin is looking to
add some scoring help that will be around past the next few months, I think he
could very well be a target.

Defencemen

There are two areas in particular I could see the team looking to fill.
The first is a right hand shooting defenceman (or someone who can play that
side) to play alongside Francis Bouillon on the third pairing. (A top four
d-man that would move Bouillon to his weaker side is also an option.) The
other is someone who can comfortably be part of a second powerplay unit.

Kurtis Foster (PHI): He has a cannon of a shot from the point and would also
improve the teams’ size on the blueline. However, he doesn’t use that size
effectively and he is also prone to lapses in the defensive zone. At best
he would play as a sixth defenceman but he would be a small upgrade over using
Yannick Weber regularly.

Jordan Leopold (BUF): Leopold has scored double digit goals the past three
seasons but this year has fallen off the map offensively. He is a prime
‘change of scenery’ candidate with some upside moving forward as he is more than
capable of logging a regular shift. However, he plays the left side so
someone (likely Bouillon) would have to go to his wrong side to accommodate him.
The big question though is whether or not Buffalo would move him within the
division.

Ryan O’Byrne (COL): A physical defenceman with a right hand shot is something
the Habs could really use. However, his struggles in his own end continue
to plague him (a
recent study of advanced stats yielded him dead last out of qualifying
blueliners for shutdown play against above average players) which makes him a
risk. Given that Colorado has some depth on defence though, he shouldn’t
cost too much to acquire and could be worth taking a gamble on.

Stephane Robidas (DAL): If Bergevin decides that the Canadiens could use
another blueliner that can help out next year, this would be a player to inquire
about although he won’t come cheap. Robidas is an effective shot blocker
and plays a lot more physical than he did in his first stint with Montreal years
ago. He also has had some success offensively in past years although that
part of his game has tailed off recently.

Contract Status: $3.5 million per year through the 2013-14
season. He also has a full no-trade clause.Stats: 32 GP, 0 goals, 10 assists, +3 rating, 32 PIMS, 22:15 TOI,
85 hits, 62 blocks

Cory Sarich (CGY): There’s nothing flashy about his game at this stage of his
career. He is a physical stay-at-home player with pretty much no offensive
game to speak of. He’s not going to be able to log 20 minutes per game but
14-16 isn’t out of the question. Given the current condition of the Habs’
sixth defenceman at the moment, that’s still quite the improvement.

Contract Status: $2 million per year through the 2013-14
season. He also has a full no-move clause through December 31st, 2013.Stats: 14 GP, 0 goals, 1 assist, -6 rating, 2 PIMS, 12:11 TOI, 23
hits, 10 blocks

Ladislav Smid (EDM): There are two things Smid does particularly well.
He loves to hit and he blocks a lot of shots. He isn’t going to bring any
sort of offensive game to the table and he can be inconsistent with his effort
level at times. Still, he is a strong defensive d-man, one with a mean
streak. There will always be room on a good team for one of those.

Tyson Strachan (FLA): He isn’t a well known player around the league but
Strachan is a tough player to play against. He can hit, he’ll drop the
gloves when necessary, and he can provide a team with reasonable #6 minutes.
Adding him would be better than the status quo and he shouldn’t cost too much to
acquire.